In the Age of Self-Service Printing, Can Print Shops Survive?

There was once a time when everyone went to print shops to get their printing done. Today, there are plenty of places where clients can go to print their files on their own. Many even print at home. Can traditional print shops survive the rise of self-service printing?

The answer is yes, but with the right strategy.

Print shops that want to survive the rise of self-service printing need to focus on their strengths instead of competing head-to-head against the strengths of their self-service competitors. What can print shops do better than self-service printing? Here’s our print shop survival guide.

Print Shops vs. Self-Service Printing

Print Shop Weaknesses

The nature of the print shop makes it harder for them to fulfill certain client needs. Don’t try to beat self-service printing on the things that they’re good at, such as the following:

1. Price for short runs: Clients who want 5 postcards for each of their 10 files will find a better deal at self-service printing spots because the cost for setting up would be much higher at a print shop, especially for offset printing.
2. Turnaround time: Self-service printing is often very fast or even instant. Clients like being able to get last-minute printing done and avoid printing queues, both of which are difficult for a medium or large print shop.
3. Convenience (home printing): When quality isn’t a major concern, clients often opt to print on a home printer. It’s hard to convince a client to travel to your print shop when they can click a few buttons and get it done from the comfort of their home.
4. Customizing the printing process: It may be time consuming, but some clients intentionally go for the handmade look of vintage printing processes like traditional screen printing. Unless your print shop specializes in these processes, you won’t be able to fulfill this unique client need.

Print Shop Strengths

Fortunately, there are so many advantages to printing at a print shop. Focus on these features because they’re major disadvantages of self-service printing.

1. Price for large runs: Self-service printing starts to get very pricey when clients want to print in bulk. Print shops, on the other hand, have the workflow, technology, and industrial machinery in place to produce large quantities inexpensively.
2. Quantity: Because the cost for large runs is so expensive, self-service printing stations often don’t even give clients the option of printing large quantities all at once. Why print 1,000 flyers 100 times when they can go to a print shop and get their order of 100,000 placed just once?
3. Quality: Print shop professionals with years of experience know how to print a client’s file to look its best. Despite the advancement of self-service printing technology, print shops are still known for being a choice when quality is important.
4. Convenience: We mentioned printing at home as convenient but clients who are less tech savvy may find it more convenient to place an order with a print shop who takes care of everything for them. It’s also easier for them to ask questions and get an expert’s opinion on their print jobs.
5. Product variety: Print shops usually offer a much wider variety of print products than self-service printing stations. Clients looking for a specialty stock or coating are more likely to find what they need at a print shop. If your print shop needs to increase its product selection, consider outsourcing to a wholesale trade partner like SinaLite.
6. Special finishes: Some print jobs need special finishes like grommets, binding, gold foil, or other features that are usually impossible to do at self-service printing centers. Printers can differentiate themselves from the self-printing competition by offering these options.

Print Shops Are Still Competitive

Print shops can still succeed in the rise of self-service printing if they know their advantages and focus on promoting them. The key then is to provide what self-service printing can’t or is not good at. Finding what you can do better will help you stand out from the competition and get more print orders.

Enjoyed this article? Share it on social media and don’t forget to subscribe to Printer Success.